Breaking the Madness
by MagicKaty1
Summary: Grace is sick of living with her father, the Mad Hatter, in a tiny castle in the middle of nowhere, listening to the parties he hosts that she is never allowed to attend. But when Prince Henry comes to stay for a few weeks, he helps her break the madness.
1. Chapter 1

Grace sighed as she longingly stared out of her room. Her room was a balcony that was above the main floor. The main floor was where the ballroom was, so it was very hard to sleep when a party was happening. There was a barrier that surrounded her balcony so she didn't fall, but it was short enough that she could climb over it.

Right now a party was happening, and Grace was trying to sleep. She really wanted to be at the party, dancing and having fun. But Father never allowed it.

"You're too young to go to these parties, dearest." He would always say.

"I'm sixteen!" Grace always retorted. "Old enough to be married, to have children, to be queen, and yet still not old enough to go to a party!"

Her Father always slapped her cheek and sent her to her "room" after that answer.

"I hate Father." Grace muttered. She gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. She didn't really say that about Father, did she?

_You're too goody-goody, _something inside Grace said.

"I am not." Grace replied.

_Yes you are. Father won't let you go to that party, but who cares what Father says? He's the one who sits around making hats and talks to himself!_

"He is the Mad Hatter." Grace reminded the voice.

_Oh, stop making this so difficult! Put on your best dress and go to that party!_

Grace shook her head. "That would be disrespectful, Father would never forgive me. I cannot be disobedient!"

_Go ahead; waste your life up here in your room. See how that works out for you._

"Grace!" Father yelled.

Grace jumped in fright. Father never yelled for her during a party.

"Grace, get down here at once, and put on your best gown!"

Grace slipped off her thin nightgown and examined herself in the mirror. Her white underdress was stained and wrinkled, not to mention two sizes too small, which didn't look good on Grace. The underdress revealed her calves, which were twig-like and pale. She was sickly skinny, and you could see her ribs through the fabric. Her chest was flat, which bothered Grace immensely. All the other "of age" girls she had seen were completely filled out, but Grace looked like she was eleven years old.

Grace measured herself against the wall like she did every night. Still only five feet, two inches.

"Grace, what is taking you so long?" Father called.

Grace pulled her worn-out corset, white slip, and her best dress. Her best dress was plain pink, with a billowing tunic top and flowing skirt. It had a bit of lace around the collar, which dropped down so low Grace was surprised it didn't reveal more than she considered necessary. To be a little more modest, she put her fluffy high-neck collar, which made her look like she was from 18th century England (Father was surprised that she knew what women in 18th century England looked like, to which Grace said, "Father, I read books occasionally").

"Coming, Father!" Grace shouted, putting her hair into a sloppy braided bun and dabbing on some makeup. Just a little pink on her cheeks made all the difference for Grace; it made her look just a tiny less unordinary.

Grace gracefully walked down the spiral staircase that lead downstairs, carefully placing her dress so that everyone couldn't see that she was wearing no shoes.

"Grace, dearest, you have finally arrived!" Father exclaimed as Grace appeared in the ballroom.

"What do you need, Father?" Grace asked.

"I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine." Father said. He motioned for a small group of people to come over. "My friends, this is my daughter, Grace."

Grace curtsied. "What a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

There were three people in this group. A woman, a man and a boy.

"Why thank you, dear." The woman said with a smile. She had wavy blond hair and green eyes, with a warm smile but stern eyes. She wore a puffy light blue gown that had simple sleeves and a smocked skirt. She wore a beautiful sapphire necklace and a golden ring. Her pearl tiara rested against a high bun.

She was exactly what Grace wanted to look like, which didn't please Grace, but she put on a smile.

"How do you do, _monsieur_?" Grace said to the man.

"Very well, thank you lass." The man replied. He had black hair and blue eyes, and his face seemed planted in a permanent smirk. He wore a gold jacket and a white shirt underneath. The jacket was held together loosely by three clasps. He wore simple brown pants and black boots, which didn't sound appealing when Grace ran it through her mind, but it looked regal on him.

"Hi… I mean how do you do?" The boy said unsurely to Grace. He had plain brown hair and green eyes, and wore the same outfit as his father, except the jacket was red. He had freckles and Grace could tell he smiled a lot.

"Very well, and you?" Grace answered politely.

"Er… I'm good." The boy said.

"Henry is a little out of his element." The woman explained.

"So are you, Love." The man said with a grin.

"It is alright." Grace protested. "Truthfully, it is fine."

"These people are the royalty of the West Side of the Enchanted Forest." Father declared.

Grace had heard about the splitting of the Enchanted Forest. The North Side, where Grace and her father lived, was ruled by Evil Queen (who was no longer evil, but everyone still called her that, not to her face though). Since the Evil Queen was not willing to give up her throne, it was announced that the land would be split into four parts. The Charmings got the East Side, while the South Side is unoccupied, due to a major breakout of escaped flying monkeys.

"You may call me Emma." The woman told Grace.

"And I am Killian." The man added.

"And this is Henry." Emma said.

Henry waved sheepishly.

"You are Snow White's daughter, are you not?" Grace gasped.

"Yes I am, dear." Emma smiled. "Do not forget my wonderful father, though."

"Oh dear, no." Grace said.

"Well, Grace," Father interrupted, "Emma and her family will be staying here for a bit while their castle is being repaired from a fire that broke out… last week, was it?"

"Yes, indeed." Killian confirmed.

"Where will they sleep?" Grace said. "We have only two guest rooms!"

Due to the fact that the Evil Queen lost her lover Robin Hood, the Queen declared that husband and wife must not share a bed while residing in the North Side.

"Why, Killian and I will share a room, of course!" Emma exclaimed. "And Henry will have the other!"

"But it is forbidden for husband and wife to sleep in the same bed!" Grace protested.

"We will bring in the extra cot, then." Father said. "Don not worry so much, Grace."

Father clapped his hands and the hall became silent.

"Thank you everyone for attending this party!" Father shouted. "Now I must end the gathering, and you all must return home! Good night!"

Everyone started making their way outside, and Father grabbed Grace's hand.

"I am going to lead Emma and Killian up to the large guest room." Father said. "You will lead Henry to the small guest room."

No asking, no being polite. Just "you will lead Henry to the small guest room".

Grace nodded and dragged Henry over to the spiral staircase on the opposite side of the ballroom as Grace's staircase. She pushed him up it, careful to again not reveal her bare feet.

"Here it is." Grace said, mockingly throwing her hands up in the air. "Ta-da!"

"Thanks." Henry muttered. "You can leave now."

Grace froze. She was not some servant girl! But she ignored this and left.

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**_A/N:_**

**_This is my second story for OUAT FanFiction. I wanted to make a story about Grace and Henry, and I thought about if they met when they were in the Enchanted Forest. I hope you enjoyed it, and please review!_**


	2. Chapter 2

All the bedrooms in the castle were balconies, so Grace could see straight into Henry's room, as well as her Father's and Emma and Killian's. Grace was always up before anyone else in the castle, even before the servants.

Grace threw her arms in the air and yawned loudly. It was unladylike, but she didn't care.

"Good morning, world." She said softly. She always said this, hoping that being polite to the world would make her day better. It was silly, but ever since her mother's death Grace felt it was necessary to get on the world's good side.

Grace looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was falling out of the loose braid she had put it in. The little bit of makeup had disappeared. Her nightgown was wrinkled. She looked like a mess.

"What man in his right mind would want to marry me?" She sighed, examining her child-like features. "I will be an old maid."

She flopped back into bed and put her hand on her stomach. Her ribs stuck out so much she was surprised no one thought she was a monster.

Grace decided she should probably get dressed, so she closed the curtains that surrounded the balcony and pulled off her nightgown.

Her underdress looked the same as it did last night. Stained, crinkled, and too small.

"What should I wear today?" Grace asked herself.

She pulled out her extra underdress. It was still crinkled and too small, but with fewer stains.

"This will impress our guests more than the one I am wearing." Grace muttered.

She slipped off the dirtier and avoided looking at herself in the mirror. It always saddened her.

Once Grace was wearing her better underdress and a pair of bloomers, she scouted out a dress in her wardrobe. She could not wear her best dress again, that would look stupid. So she grabbed a thin violet skirt and a blouse of the same color, along with a green girdle-like thing that she had forgotten the name of. Mother had taught her how to layer her clothing, and with the arrival of the guests she felt that layering was somewhat appealing.

She did not put on her corset, recognizing it as useless. Grace was already much too skinny.

"I am sweltering." She moaned. Layering may be pretty, but it was not something to do when you wanted to beat the heat.

"Grace, are you awake?" Father called from downstairs. "Cook has made crumpets for breakfast."

"I am coming, Father!"

Grace made her way downstairs, once again forgetting her shoes. The floor was cold and a little dirty, and she regretted not putting on her flats.

"There you are, darling!" Father cried, leading Grace over to the dining table that had been set up in the middle of the ballroom. Usually Grace and Father ate wherever was convenient, but whilst guests were around, Father brought out the large dining table. They had no dining room, so the ballroom substituted.

"Good morning, child." Emma greeted as Grace sat down in between Henry and Father.

"_Bonjour_, _mademoiselle_." Father had taught Grace to speak French when she was young, just to pass the time, and Grace tried to utilize it often.

Henry slurped the coffee that Cook had poured him. "You speak French?"

"_Oui._" Grace replied. "_Êtes-vous surpris ? Je suis une dame._ »

"Er… what did you say?" Henry asked.

"Nothing." Grace murmured.

"Do not be rude, Grace." Father scolded. He turned to Killian. "She is quite feisty around her peers, you see."

"Oh, I would not say _feisty_, mate." Killian said. "_Spirited_, perhaps?"

"Possibly," Father said.

The table was quiet.

"So Grace," Emma broke the awkward silence. "That is a very pretty dress you are wearing."

"_Merci_." Grace thanked. "I just layered some of my clothing."

Emma nodded. "You know, I have some dresses and other things that I just have lying around in my trunk. They have not fit me since I was your age. If you would like, I could show them to you, and you may pick some things to keep for yourself?"

Grace smiled. "That is very generous, _Madame,_ but I am not sure my father would approve."

"I certainly do not." Father confirmed. "I could never let my daughter take you clothing."

"Oh, it is absolutely my pleasure to give them to her." Emma retorted. "I have no use for them."

"Oh, do not be so stubborn, Jefferson." Killian said. "Grace is growing older, she needs new things. All girls her age fawn over new clothes."

Father's mind seemed to battle over this. But finally, he gave in. "Alright, fine. Grace, you go grow old and become a mindless girly-girl."

Grace was so happy she did not even hear the last part. "Thank you so very much, Father!"

Henry looked disgusted at all of this. "Who cares about some stupid new clothes? Gods, I'm glad I'm a boy."

"Henry, watch your language!" Emma gasped. "We are in public!"

Henry looked around mockingly. "Really?"

Emma slapped his cheek. "Go to your room, now."

Henry looked at Grace. Their eyes met, and Grace's stomach fluttered like a million butterflies were inside her. What was this feeling?

"Henry, obey your mother." Killian said sternly.

Henry left, leaving Grace alone with three adults.

"May I be excused, Father?" Grace pleaded.

Father nodded. "Yes, of course."

Grace ran up to her room and plopped onto her bed. What was that feeling she had when Henry looked at her? It was probably just revolt or something like that.

"What else would I feel around Henry?" Grace asked herself.

She began taking off her dress. It was way too warm to wear something so thick. She immediately felt cold as she stood there in her thin underdress. She searched her wardrobe for something warmer to wear. She felt like riding her horse Bon Bon (which meant "Good Good" in French), and she needed something to wear outside.

She pulled out her green cotton dress. It had a little rose sewn into the underside of the sleeve. Mother had made it for Grace on her twelfth birthday.

She turned to the mirror and spun around, making her green dress swirl. It was her favorite dress, no doubt.

Grace opened the curtains around her balcony to let in more light. Henry was standing in his room, looking over at Grace's room. He immediately turned beet red and turned away.

"What is with him?" Grace muttered. She put on her boots and grabbed her riding helmet. "He better not follow me outside, or we are going have a problem."

She practically ran outside and to the stable. She put Bon Bon's bridle, saddle and saddlecloth on in record time, and she rode off, leaving behind any thought she ever had about Henry.

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**_A/N:_**

**_Here it is, another chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one! Next chapter will possibly have a conversation between Grace and Henry, but maybe not; I haven't figured that part out yet. anyways, PLEASE REVIEW AND ELEPHANTS DON'T MOO!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_**

**_Hello! I am back! I would've updated sooner, but I was napping (don't judge me!). This chapter's pretty short, but I only had about fifteen minutes to write it, so live with it! (lol) . Yeah I know this chapter doesn't count as much of a "conversation" for Grace and Henry, but it will have to do, right? Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!_**

* * *

Grace returned home from riding just in time for lunch. Bon Bon was exhausted, so she took off his tack and put him in his stall. Bon Bon neighed loudly, as if he was warning Grace about something, but she ignored him. He was only a horse.

"Grace, are you in here?" Henry's voice asked.

Grace froze. What was he doing in the stables?

"I was just coming in here to check on my mother's horse, Cobalt." Henry said. He was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed. "Your father has been worried sick. You left without a warning."

Grace shrugged. "I do it all the time. Father would have figured out that I was riding eventually."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Do not give me attitude, Grace."

"You sound like an adult, Henry." Grace laughed. "Like you are nothing more than my age."

"I am almost seventeen." Henry protested. "Two months, three days."

"That's wonderful, Henry." Grace said without meaning it at all. She surprised herself at her own rudeness. What was happening to her?

"Oh, be quiet." Henry snapped. "I know you do not mean it."

The stable was silent except for the crunching of Bon Bon eating an apple. Henry and Grace glared at each other.

"This is just horrible." Grace moaned. "We obviously do not agree on anything, and we have to live with each other for the next…well, who knows how long!"

"At least I am not a narcissistic girly-girl with daddy issues."

Grace gasped. "How _dare_ you call me such a foul name! I will have you know I could beat you to a pulp in two minutes!"

"Ooh, so not a girly-girl!" Henry mused. "Alright then, _Grace_, if you want a fight, it is a fight you will get."

Henry charged at Grace with such force she did not even have time to defend herself. Within a few second Henry had her pinned to the floor.

"Ha!" Henry said.

Grace tried to push him off of her, but Henry had her arms practically nailed to the ground.

"Get off of me!" Grace grumbled.

They both seemed to realize at the same time that Henry was lying on top of Grace, his face uncomfortably close to hers. He smelled of cocoa and cinnamon, with a hint of evergreen, Grace noted. But Henry did not seem to care about what Grace smelled like.

Henry sprang to his feet. "And that is the end of today's lesson! Good day, m'lady!"

He saluted and ran, leaving Grace still lying on the floor, panting. She was covered in dirt and the smell of cocoa, cinnamon and evergreen still lingered.

"That was pleasant." Grace muttered as she brushed the dirt off of her clothes. Her entire body hurt and her eyes stung. "I am going to have to get him back for this. He won't know what hit him."


	4. Chapter 4

Grace's stomach did a flip as Henry walked down the spiral staircase. Today was the day of sweet revenge on Henry. She had planned something huge; something Henry would never forget.

"Good morning, darling." Emma said to Henry as he sat down opposite to Grace.

"Good morning, Mother."

Henry dived in to his eggs and sausage, and Grace pretended to be occupied with watching the birds outside the windows. She tapped her foot on the ground impatiently, eagerly awaiting the moment when Henry experienced her wrath.

Breakfast seemed to drag on forever, at least for Grace. Henry ate his food at turtle speed, as if he knew what Grace had done.

"Well, I should be off, Mother." Henry said at last. "It is time for my morning ride."

He stood up and rushed out of the hall, grinning. Grace was confused. Did he know about her little trick?

* * *

**Henry's POV**

* * *

Henry grinned as he rushed out of the hall. He had watched Grace set up the trap all evening, knowing exactly what she had in store for him.

He walked into the stable, carefully stepping over the line of tree sap that Grace had put there. He jumped over the tripwire that was supposed to knock him over, avoided the lard that coated the ground, and casually strutted through the pile of hay Grace had smartly placed after the lard.

"Easy as pie." He said happily.

"How did you get past my traps?" Grace's voice gasped from the doorway.

Henry turned around and smiled. "They were quite easy to avoid, actually."

Grace groaned. "I give up!"

She stepped forward, straight into the tree sap.

"Ugh!" She grumbled. She pried her feet free and stumbled into the tripwire. She flopped over and fell face first into the gooey lard.

"Oh my goodness, Grace!" Henry laughed.

Grace wiped the paste from her eyes and stood up. Her face was murderous.

"I am so sick of you!" She shouted. She started walking forward dangerously. "You have been nothing more than a rude young man to me, and I am-"

She never got to finish, because she walked into the pile of hay. She toppled over in surprise.

"Oh no!" She cried.

Henry was laughing so hard he nearly fell to the ground. "You look awful!"

Grace stood up and looked at herself. She was covered in lard and hay, and her feet were sticky with sap. Her hair was full of lard and hay was stuffed down her clothes.

"I hate you, Henry!" She screamed.

Henry shrugged. "That is fine with me!"

He stepped backwards and activated Grace's final trap. It was simple, but it was Grace's favorite.

"Argh!" Henry shrieked as he collapsed into a tank full of expired milk. It was cold and chunky and smelled horrible, and Henry was allergic to milk.

"What have you done?" Henry moaned. He could already feel his face puffing up. "I'm allergic to milk!"

Grace giggled. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you fell backwards into a tank full of milk."

Henry sat up and charged at Grace, forgetting about the hay and lard in front of him. He belly-flopped onto Grace and they both got drenched in lard and hay. Henry grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled. He heard her scream like bloody murder and let go. He wasn't _that_ mean.

Grace's hand collided with Henry's face and he inhaled sharply. Did she seriously just slap him?

"Oh, that is it!" He yelled.

He slapped her in return, harder than he thought possible. She yelped and fell backwards, clutching her face. He heard a muffled sob escape from her hands.

"You monster!" She screamed. She removed her hands. Her nose was bleeding and her cheek was red. She threw herself at him and pinned him to the lard-covered floor. She breathed heavily and squeezed Henry's puffed up face into a pucker. For a moment Henry thought she was going to kiss him. But instead she pushed his jaw together to make his teeth chomp down onto his tongue. He moaned (or more like gurgled) in pain.

"Think before you speak, Angel Boy." She said.

Grace got up and wiped her nose. It was still bleeding, but not that much. "Just hope I do not have to pulverize you again."


	5. Chapter 5

It took a while to explain what had happened to Grace's father and Emma and Killian.

"You see, there was a huge tank of milk that I was trying to make into cheese." Grace lied. "And Henry just happened to fall into it."

"That does not even begin to explain why you two are covered in lard and hay, Grace's shoes are full of tree sap, and you both have broken noses." Killian barked.

"She did this to me, Mother." Henry moaned in his best baby voice. "It was all Grace. I was only trying to defend myself."

"You little snitch!" Grace gasped.

"So you are admitting that you did do this?" Father asked.

"Yes, I planted the sap and the lard and the hay and the tripwire so I could get back at Henry for insulting me." Grace steamed. "But he was the one who broke my nose, pulled my hair, and got me looking like this!"

"You are the one who stumbled into the huge pile of lard!" Henry retorted. "I did not do that to you!"

"Oh, stop it, Angel Boy." Grace sighed. "We all know you are just an insufferable momma's boy, no need to rub it in."

Henry launched to his feet and grabbed Grace's sleeve. He was about to hurt her but Killian held him back. "Henry, what has gotten into you?"

Father was gaping. "Grace, if I ever hear those words come out of your mouth again, you will be locked in your room for a month!"

"Henry, I am very disappointed in you." Emma scolded.

"As am I," Killian added. "You ought to be treating a young lady like Grace better."

"Yes, Mother." Henry mumbled. Grace got the gist that Henry rarely ever got scolded.

Father sighed. "Grace, for you punishment you will be cleaning up the entire stable, top to bottom, as well as tending to whatever Henry needs for the rest of his stay here."

Grace stomped her foot. "And what does Henry get for breaking my nose? What does he get for calling me names? What does he get for laughing at me instead of helping me? NOTHING! Absolutely nothing!"

"I think you are being too harsh, Grace." Father said softly.

"I hate you!"

The words were out before Grace could even think them over. She was just so mad at Father then.

"Excuse me?" Father exclaimed.

Grace felt hot tears coming, so she ran. Up the spiral staircase, through her doorway, and onto her bed.

"Grace, get back down here, now!" Father yelled. But Grace just slammed her door and sobbed into her bed sheets.

Time seemed to speed up, because before Grace knew it, it was nearly her bed time. She must have fallen asleep or something.

"What is happening to me?" She muttered as she wiped the yuck out of her eyes.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." A voice said from behind her.

Grace turned and her brain flared with anger as she saw it was Henry. "Go away."

"You know, I would rather not." Henry sat down at Grace's desk. "Not until I get my answers."

"About what?"

"About why you hate me so much." Henry said.

Grace shrugged. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"I did not hate you at first. I actually thought you were quite nice."

"Oh really?" Grace said. "I would have never thought you would like a 'narcissistic girly-girl with daddy issues'."

Henry sighed. "I apologize for calling you that. I know what it is like to have issues with your father."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you and Killian get along alright."

Henry laughed. "You think Killian is my father? Honestly, I wish."

"Wait, what?"

"My father left me and my mother when I was still in my mother's womb." Henry said. "He was a thief and he broke my mother's heart. She gave up risked her entire life for him. The future queen, falling deeply in love with a common thief? She could have been thrown out of the castle."

"So he just _left_?" Grace said, bewildered. Her father may be insane and unfair, but she knew one thing: he loved her more than anything.

"Yes, he just _left_." Henry sighed. "So you see Grace, you may think your father is being unfair to you, but at least he loves you."

Grace smiled. "Henry?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Henry got up. "Because I need someone to talk to."

Grace got up as well. "My door is always open."

_Wait, whoa there!_ Something inside her screamed. _Don't get _too_ crazy!_

"I mean, it was nice talking to you." Grace added.

"It was nice talking to you as well, Grace."

Henry left, and Grace listened as his footsteps clomped down the staircase. She felt herself longing for him to come back up.

What the heck?

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_**PLEASE REVIEW! I HEARD THAT YOU OUAT FANS DON'T REVIEW, SO PLEASE CHANGE THAT AND REVIEW!**_


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